Maple Grove Jazz Ensemble Swings into Spring

The sounds of spring will fill the air this weekend, courtesy of the Maple Grove Jazz Ensemble. The ensemble's latest concert  "Swing into Spring"  takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22 at the Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. Tickets are available free of charge.

The show will include the group's newest member, vocalist Pat Feit of Elk River.

Feit has an extensive music teaching background from Princeton schools and Elk River High School.

"In both places we did shows, created shows with the kids and they loved it," Feit said. "They were good at it, very creative and it was just fun."

A mezzo soprano, Feit joined the group after being coerced by her son-in-law, a fellow member Rich Kiley.

After the death of her husband, Feit had put her voice to rest until Kiley took a tape of her recording to jazz ensemble Director Paul Mazzacano.

"Paul liked it, so Rich came in and said 'think you could be ready to sing in February?' And I said 'what are you talking about?,' and then Rich told me what he'd done," she said.

Being able to sing again is "truly a gift," Feit said.

"It's like having a conversation with your best friend and it's a lot of fun and it's a way of expressing myself," she said. "That's really what it's all about, it's a great art."

The Maple Grove Jazz Ensemble consists of residents of jazz musicians living in Maple Grove and the surrounding area and the group is always seeking new members.

"We are always open to having talented, dedicated musicians become members of our group," said Mazzacano.

The ensemble is a volunteer organization consisting of professional and semi-professional musicians. The group performs a diverse mixture of compositions, many of which feature individual members as jazz soloists.

"Our  repertoire  includes  Ellington,  Basie,  Herman,  Toschiko,  Nestico," he said. "I  also  compose  and  arrange  about  90 percent  of  the  music  we  play  so  that  I  can  be  certain  that  each  composition  compliments  the  talents  of  each  of our  musicians."

After the "Swing into Spring" concert, the Maple Grove Jazz Ensemble will perform their next concert at Maple Grove's at 7:30 p.m. June 13.